Double Down
by Mneme
Summary: Be Kind, Please Rewind Remix: David learns second chances always come with catches. '05 Remix/Redux3 assignment. Remix of Carla's "Second Chances"; original story at The Lost Cave. Anna belongs to Carla, the others to Warner Bros. I just remixed it.
1. Chapter 1

I blinked and my life flashed before my eyes. It was rather truncated, skipping the years before I was a vampire and focusing specifically on the last year... more even the last months really. I kept waiting for the world to refocus, but I only saw the skipping images before me: when we'd met Star, taken her and Laddie in, initiated them into the Lost Boys.

Then there were images I did not know: A dark haired boy, bringing him to the Cave, initiation; a dark night on the railroad trestle. Then a strange house. A young blonde boy... no! Three young boys: two blonds and one dark. Blinding swirls of the lights from the Boardwalk.

My head ached but the images came faster. There was a hunt. The Surf Nazis ripped to shreds and burned on a bonfire by our hands. I felt my own mouth move giving an ultimatum to the dark haired boy Star seemed to like. Immense pain washed through each cell of my body as the young blond staked Marko. Our betrayal. Our pain. Our anger. I was shaking with the overwhelming emotion. My right hand burned, caught in the sun! NO! Not the sun! Then healing darkness. Revenge!

Blurry shapes, the dark haired boy again: punching me, throwing me around a room I'd never been in before. No! Not the sharp horns! NO! Not death!

Just as suddenly my eyes reopened and I was still sitting on my bike, exhaling smoke from my nostrils. I wasn't shaking, I wasn't angry, and I wasn't in pain. Odd. I had ceased to dream years and years before. The images dissolved from my minds' eye like shredded tissue, finally and utterly disappearing forever.


	2. Chapter 2

Star was late. She was supposed to meet us ten minutes ago. Where the hell was she? The boys were restless; we'd yet to feed that night. Paul was getting overly obnoxious when I picked up her scent.

"Let's go boys." I called. Down the back street to the alley. Our engines roared through the night lit by miles of neon. Entering the alley I gave a cursory glance. It was Star but she wasn't alone. A good-looking blonde girl was with her. I gave a nod and our customary fun began. The boys and I bore down on the two girls, blinding them with the headlights on our bikes. Working as one, we all swerved at the last second, cutting around the girls in a semi-circle, trapping them. I heard them scream, their voices piercing above the engines. The blonde dropped into a fighting stance. A tough girl huh?

We cut the engines as one and the roar died quickly in the alley. The blonde stayed in her stance, looking like she'd take us all on at once. I smirked inside, letting it carry over onto my lips for a second. Then it all just amused me.

"Where ya been, Star?" I asked, the smirk resurfacing on my lips. The boys made noise around me, jeers and taunts.

"I was on the boardwalk, and these guys knocked me down. Anna kicked their asses then, when I passed out, took me off the street and back to her room. She helped me David," Star replied. Anxiety was racing through her voice. She could be covering up pieces of her story. I'd deal with that later.

"Did she now." I eyed the blonde standing beside Star. She was pretty enough, obviously a tomboy at heart. And she was calm. She didn't show any fear of us. That was new.

"She did." Star stuck her chin out, defiant, moving over to stand next to my bike. "So leave her alone."

I laughed. This was hilarious! Star standing up to me? Oh boy, this was new! "I'll leave her be." I spoke softly, so only Star could really hear me. She relaxed visibly. "But I don't think I'm the one you have to worry about." Nodding over towards the other boys, I could see the blood lust in their eyes. In Dwayne's, there was something more. I curled my lip in a sneer. "If she helped you, then we owe her a great deal, don't we?" I turned from Star toward the blonde. "Come with us? That is, if you're brave enough."

"Where?" Anna snorted. She wasn't going to be as compliant as most girls. Great. Laddie jumped down from behind Dwayne and grabbed Star's legs through her skirts. He was easily scared when Star wasn't there to protect him.

"Come and see." I winked at her as Star climbed on behind me. She was sufficiently cowed again.

"I don't have a bike."

"Ride with one of my boys." I wasn't going to let any insufficient excuses get in the way of taking Anna to the cave. "Come with us." I put a hint of command in my voice.

Slowly, Laddie started to climb up behind Dwayne again, but Dwayne gave him a sharp shake of his head and Laddie blinked. Silently, Marko grabbed Laddie's wrist and helped him up onto the back of his bike.

Dwayne held his hand out to Anna, who looked down at it. I felt him give her a mental push, pulling her to his bike and helping her climb on. I laughed, loudly. Dwayne had found a new toy! Perhaps this would go much easier now.

"We ride boys!" I commanded and tore off down the street, my Lost Boys and Anna following behind. We gave Anna the usual scenic tour, then spun to a stop at the edge of the Bluff.

"This is what you wanted me to see?" She looked at me, eyes stony. I laughed back at her harshly.

"No. Not this." I grabbed Star's arm and put her in front of me, descending the wooden stairs down into the cave. "Bring her down," I ordered, without looking back. I trusted my boys.


	3. Chapter 3

Dwayne got her down into the cave, just like I knew he would. "Nice," Anna spoke to me, impressed. "Very nice."

I mustered the purest smile I could. "Glad you like it" I couldn't help myself; I grinned at the blonde. Nudging Star with my elbow, I got her attention. "Told you, you wouldn't have to worry about me." I made sure my voice was low enough that none of the others would hear, and casually gestured towards Anna. She was still holding Dwayne's hand.

"Leave her alone, please," Star begged me. "She helped me. She doesn't need this."

"I think this is exactly what she needs," I countered. "Marko. My wine."

Marko quickly moved to fetch the ornate bottle. Now there was someone who didn't try to defy me! Motioning to Dwayne, he walked toward me, not exactly leading Anna, but not giving her the option of staying where she was, either.

Marko brought the bottle back to me. I opened it, reverently. Taking a sip, my eyes closed and my head fell back. There was nothing like blood. I held the bottle out in Anna's direction.

"Drink." It was a command, of course. You had to show authority from the very beginning.

Anna snorted at me. "Not likely."

Slowly I reopened my eyes. "What?" Very few people, mortal or otherwise, defied me.

"No," Anna stated again.

"You don't drink?" I frowned.

"In certain situations, no." Anna pulled her hand from Dwayne's. His gaze darkened.

"This situation?" Paul asked her, laughing.

"One drink," I cajoled, "Won't hurt."

"I don't know where I am, I don't know how to get back, and I don't know who you all are. One drink could very well hurt," Anna crossed her arms over her chest. "No."

"Touché," I smirked bitterly. Anna wasn't a dumb one. She would take a lot more work to get her defenses down. Gently I corked the bottle and set it back on the nearest table. "Not tonight."

Anna nodded. "Not tonight." I could feel her defiance. It made the blood in my veins heat up.

Star moved next to Anna. "Thank you again for helping me," she told her. "But you'd be safer if you didn't help anymore."

Anna nodded back. "I know. But I still will," she replied.

Star shook her head. "You don't know what you're getting into. Just leave." The fear was tangled with her voice.

"So tell me what I'm getting into," Anna frowned at Star. She was way smarter then I'd pegged her at first or she had a thing for empowering helpless girls. "Why are you so scared?"

"You don't know what we are." Star murmured.

"Tell me," Anna said. I felt her curiosity peak. Enough!

"We are simply a Pack," I stated, making my voice cold and leaving no room for questioning. I stepped towards the girls. "Nothing more, nothing less." One more time Star turned and looked at me, the defiance still faint in her eyes. I looked back, domineering. She sighed and moved back to her corner, slipping behind the soft curtains covering her bed.

"Take her back, David, please," she begged me. I was getting sick of this game anyway. There wasn't anything I could honestly do to Anna, except make her dinner. Literally. And I knew Dwayne would reject that idea. I lowered my head.

"All right," my lip twitched as I spoke. The boys knew I was pissed. "Take her back, Dwayne."

Dwayne looked like he was going to protest the order, but stopped short. He turned and left the cave, heading back towards his bike.

"Go on," I told Anna. "You're free to leave."

She frowned at me, turned towards Star. "You'll be OK?" she asked the dark-haired girl. Ok she did have an empowerment thing. I shot Star a look Anna couldn't see.

Star nodded. "Just go. Please," she begged the blonde girl, letting her fear taint the words enough to affect the mortal. Anna shook her head, started to say something, then left, hurrying after Dwayne.

As soon as I knew Dwayne and Anna were well away from the bluff I shot Star a murderous glare. "What were you thinking?!" I growled loudly. She looked away and hid behind her curtains. I swore and shook my head, looking back to Marko and Paul.

"Let's go." I hauled back up the worn stones to the cave entry. They followed me out, unquestioningly.


	4. Chapter 4

I let two weeks pass by, enough to let everyone think on the Anna situation. I myself thought about her. She was defiant, cocky, and headstrong. Everything I liked about myself. Maybe there was a reason we'd bumped into her. When I figured enough time had passed, the next night the boys and I rode back to the Boardwalk. I told Star to stay at the cave with Laddie. There was no need for her to get another dose of empowerment from Anna just yet.

"Let's do something fun." I grinned at my boys, leading the way to the carousel. We caused the usual amount of trouble then things took a turn for the worse. I found the Surf Nazis were also riding the carousel. Shelly, the blonde who was dating their leader Greg, was sitting on the bench beside him. I couldn't resist. We'd been looking for a reason to wipe them off the face of the earth anyway.

I cupped her chin and looked into her eyes. Greg instantly exploded and the rest of his gang moved in on the boys. I was just about to get a swing in at Greg when the doughy security guard jerked me back, his nightstick crushing my throat, when a soft voice spoke out over the commotion.

"Officer, I'm sure my boys didn't mean to cause trouble," Anna said, slipping up in front of the officer, an innocent smile brushing across her lips. My eyes burned as I stared at her. Who the hell did she think she was?!

The officer was obviously startled that this young girl was claiming us troublemakers as hers. "Your boys?" he repeated, voice shocked. His nightstick dropped away from my throat and I shrugged off his arms.

"My boys," Anna flashed him another smile. She slid past me, moving towards Dwayne, who was still being held back.

She caught his eye, and Dwayne stopped struggling. He relaxed. Man, this girl had worked voodoo on them both!

"Ok boys, let's go." I gave the order, my throat sore from the nightstick, and pulled away from the officer. The others frowned but followed. Anna flashed a final smile at the guard, stepping off right behind Dwayne. He immediately wrapped his arms around her waist. I held back a snarl. Anna turned to me.

"Where's Star?" she asked.

I shrugged, letting the anger build inside me but not escape yet. "Around," I answered. "I knew you'd come back." She glared at me for a long moment, but the effect was lost when Dwayne nuzzled at her neck. In that moment, I knew I'd lost Dwayne. But it didn't mean we couldn't have Anna for the Pack.

"So what are we doing?" she asked, unconsciously including herself. "Besides causing trouble, of course."

I hid my grin; she was beginning to see it our way, it was just a matter of formalities now. I shrugged again at her. "Who knows?"

The rest of the night Anna hung with us, joining us in our usual tormenting of the tourists and locals. Finally the time came for us to hunt. Dwayne made up an excuse for us and we walked her to her door. She smiled at each of us, giving Dwayne a kiss. Then she turned and moved closer to me.

"That couple," she told me softly. I knew she was referring to Shelly and Greg. "Make them hurt. They tried to hurt you, and you're mine. Make them pay for that transgression." I felt slightly odd hearing her call us 'hers'. But in a way it actually felt right. I grinned at her and nodded. If that's what she wanted, if that's what it took to get her to be ours, then it was done. We left her then and headed up the back hills, to where we knew Greg and Shelly went.

Within minutes, both were dead.


	5. Chapter 5

The next night we returned to the Boardwalk as usual, this time with Star and Laddie in tow. Anna was glad to see them both, and it was a consideration on my part to bring them along in a show of good faith. Anna had gotten us out of a bind last night.

"Come with us to the concert, Anna?" Star asked, taking Laddie's hand as he climbed down from the back of Dwayne's bike. Dwayne had already grabbed Anna up in his arms. I felt his jealousy. He really had it bad for Anna.

"I don't..." Anna began, but Dwayne silenced her with his lips against her neck. "No, I think I'm going to stay here with the boys." Dwayne grinned. I smirked. She'd taken another step towards joining us.

We split up and took Anna to the video store with us. I thought it might be smart to show her off to Max; he would want to know, of course. I smirked as we entered, the bell dinging at our arrival. Max looked up from the conversation he was having with some woman. Dwayne kept Anna in front of him, a hand on her hip possessively. Paul and Marko were getting a kick out of it.

Thorn snarled at us, like usual. "Bad doggy." Anna scolded him. Thorn stopped. That was different. I eyed Anna a bit, heading around the counter, the others following. Maria gave us her usual 'you got to be kidding me' look and shared a grin with Marko, before looking over at Dwayne and Anna. She could see the attraction between them too. This lead to more teasing from Marko and Paul; Anna retaliated with some hand gestures. That was my cue to step in.

I called them back to attention and headed toward the door, when Max looked up at me again. I stopped.

"I told you not to come in here anymore," he said. I smirked back. It was all an act. Mustn't blow our secret. I shot back a smart-assed smile and exited. The boys followed, mounting their bikes. Anna slid onto hers; I could feel Dwayne's disappointment. Anna rode off with us.

Max had given me a dose of his disapproval mentally. He didn't like Anna, didn't want another girl in the group.

Star was enough of a pain at times, why did we need another? And he questioned what this meant for his plans. I wasn't sure which plan he was referring to and dropped the mental link. We could deal with it later.

We parked the bikes down at the main entrance on the street and hung out, goofing off, waiting for Star and Laddie. Finally she and Laddie showed, with another boy just steps behind them. I frowned. I'd never seen him before on the Boardwalk. He was dark-haired, tanned, probably around our ages. Star slid her arm around my neck, and I helped her up behind me. The dark-haired boy stopped short, staring. I smirked at him.

I nodded to the others and we pulled out, engines roaring. Anna followed us home to the cave, much to the surprise of all of us.

"Aren't you going home?" Star asked her.

"I've got a bad feeling." Anna confessed. "I think I'd better stay here." I overheard their conversation. A bad feeling about what? It didn't matter; the sun cut short any time I had to question Anna. The boys and I descended down to our chamber to spend the daylight hours.


	6. Chapter 6

We rose at dark, and headed out for another night of fun. Reaching the topside of the cliff, I saw Anna was already there. Not many people sat out on the cliff; it could get very windy and knock you off your feet. Dwayne grinned and grabbed her round the waist. Anna's body stiffened and she moved away. I was just as confused as Dwayne.

"What's wrong?" I grabbed Anna's arm and pulled her around to face me. She glared at me

"Bad dreams." She was bitter about something. I tightened my grip as she tried to turn away from me. Her eyes blazed. "Let me go!" she snarled, tugging against my gloved grip. If she were going to be a part of the Pack, she would have to learn to respect my leadership. This was a prime example. I squeezed harder, well beyond any human strength.

Anna was biting her lip, trying not to cry out against the pain. Still she struggled. Her skin was just about to tear when Dwayne's hand grabbed my shoulder hard, his other hand grabbing my hand that was on Anna's arm.

"Let go." He growled hard. I glared at him. Now Dwayne was going to start defying me as well?

"I am the leader here," I snarled back. "You aren't."

"You're hurting her, let go," Dwayne said, eyes darkening.

Star chimed in, pleading with me from where she stood next to Marko. "Please," she said softly. "Don't hurt her."

"Come on David, it's not worth it," Paul said. His tone was laughing but there was seriousness in his eyes. "Just let her go."

I looked at each of my boys. All but Marko had said something in defensive of Anna. Marko hadn't said anything in words but I felt him agreeing with them. They were all defying my leadership over a girl. In the back of my mind I knew why: there was just something about Anna. Something we all had to find, see it through to the end.

I let Anna go. Anna stumbled back, her other hand moving to cradle her arm. Blood slid from the bite marks on her lip and her eyes were shiny with pain. Dwayne moved to stand before her, purposefully turning his back on me. Fine. It was obvious he had already chosen her and it wasn't a big surprise to me. Dwayne checked her arm over while the rest of us stood in silence. The wind whipped around us, tugging at my trench coat.

Then Dwayne was kissing Anna. I could feel as well as see the change nearly come over him. She must have split her lip enough to bleed and Dwayne had tasted it through the kiss. Anna kissed him back though, for a long moment, before finally pulling away. She gasped for air and glared at Dwayne before pulling away roughly and heading for her bike.

"Are we going to town or what?" she asked, voice hard. Rebuffed, Dwayne threw himself on his bike and pulled Laddie on. Star was frowning as she climbed up behind me. "Just go." She whispered in my ear. "I'll talk to her later."

I nodded tersely; what choice did I have?


	7. Chapter 7

We reached the Boardwalk and took up camp at the front entrance again. I remained quiet, giving the impression no one should try to talk to me. Marko and Paul were aware of the problems, but they went into their normal activities of teasing the pretty girls that walked by. Dwayne sulked hard, sitting on his bike.

Star made attempts to talk to Anna, but nothing worked. Anna remained tight-lipped and looked like she was just as angry as she was scared.

Suddenly, Star took off, giving a vague "I'll be back..." towards me and hurried off into the crowds. I took a heavy drag from my cigarette and kept my gaze down on the concrete.

"Marko, Paul." I motioned. Dwayne had the best chance of getting Anna to talk. The blond boys looked at me then dismounted and followed. I gave Dwayne a look; his eyes were hard when he looked back at me. He didn't like what I'd done. But he would try. It was killing him as well. He wanted to know why Anna was upset.

I led Marko and Paul deep into the crowded tourist attraction. As usual, they grabbed up hot dogs and cotton candy from little kids that weren't paying attention and hurried to catch up to me as I walked, cramming the stolen goods into their mouths.

The crowds always parted around me, like I was a rock in a riverbed. Mothers clutched their children's hands, pulling them closer, whispering to them to not wander off. On the other end of the scale were teenage girls, younger then I, staring at me till their eyeballs nearly fell out. I always flashed them my best smirk or grin, hearing their hearts skip a beat when I looked their way. None of these girls stood a chance with me, would never be more then a tasty meal. But they didn't have to know that.

Paul sucked the last bits of spun sugar from his fingers. "You think Dwayne can get Anna to spill her guts?"

"Maybe." I kept my answer vague. I lit another cigarette and started back in the direction of the bikes. Anna and Dwayne weren't there. Perhaps he had gotten her to talk.

Paul and Marko got into a friendly shoving match, laughing wildly, while I climbed back on my bike and waited.

Something was pulling at the back of my mind. The feeling you get when you experience déjà vu. Only... it couldn't be déjà vu. Maybe it had been a dream, though dreams didn't come as easily to me as they did before I was a vampire. I tried to shake it off.

Dwayne returned with Anna, and Laddie. Anna got on her own bike and I could tell she was purposefully avoiding Dwayne's gaze. Star rounded the corner just then; walking past us with the dark-haired teen we'd seen the night before.

Anna hissed loudly, starting her bike. It roared and she zoomed over blocking Star and the boy's path. The rest of us followed. I pulled up along side Star. Paul and Marko fanned out and Dwayne drew up by Anna.

"Where ya going, Star?" I asked, suddenly very amused she'd tried to sneak out on us -- me -- with this boy.

"For a ride. This is Michael." She wouldn't meet my gaze, only kept looking at the boy. Michael, huh. The boy started to climb aboard his dirt bike and reached for Star's arm.

"Let's go." He called to her. She started to take his hand.

"Star." I stated, raising an eyebrow. I was tired of beating around the bush. She knew the rules. Star swallowed hard, looked at Michael then came back to me, sliding her arm around my neck and climbing on. I kept my eyes on Michael. I could feel his emotions seething at Star's rebuff. Star pulled on her jacket, pulled her long hair free. Paul laughed loudly, smacking his knees. Marko stretched a bit, raring to go. Anna grinned.

I looked this Michael in the eyes. "You know where Hudson's Bluff is, overlooking the point?" my lip twitched a bit. I could feel the old excitement in my blood. If Star wanted this one, fine, but he had to join the Pack. And this was always how we did it.

"I can't beat your bike," Michael replied, voice defeated.

"You don't have to beat me Michael," I smirked, revving the engine. "You just have to keep up." I took off first, Star tightly wrapped around me. Paul and Marko followed, Anna right behind them. Dwayne brought up the end of the Pack.

Michael paused at the top of the wooden stairs, but quickly followed us.

Again, for the second time in as many weeks, we led another potential to the bluff. On the last long stretched, I pulled ahead, knowing Michael would follow me. He wanted Star badly. I egged him on, smirking and grinning, as the wind roared around us, as loud as the bikes we rode.

Michael crashed, bike sliding away from him, moments before going off the cliff. He extricated himself from the heap of his bike and hauled over to me, landing a solid punch to my jaw. Star screamed at him, too late.

"Just you," Michael roared at me "Just you." I kept my face turned out to the sea, listening, feeling. Michael was gearing up for another punch when someone knocked him to the ground. I knew the other boys were only just dismounting, catching up to Star, Michael and I. Anna. Anna had knocked Michael to the ground! I frowned a bit, trying to understand. But I couldn't make sense of it. Finally I turned my face back.

"How far are you willing to go, Michael?" I asked him, letting my smirk ride out on the question. It infuriated him more, but he did nothing. The Pack reassembled and all of us entered the cave.


	8. Chapter 8

Dwayne went first, lighting the oil barrels with a driftwood torch. Paul was strutting, cock of the walk; he was always like this when we brought back a new potential Pack member. He smirked at Michael. Anna was next, walking past the circular fountain and deeper into the room, watching Star. Star stayed beside Michael. Marko brought up the rear, carrying one of the pigeons. He loved the pigeons; they were just rats with feathers to me.

"This used to be the hottest resort in Santa Carla about 85 years ago..." I began telling Michael about our cave, how it had been smashed into the rocks and sea by the great 1906 earthquake. He seemed relatively disinterested in my words, but listened because I didn't give him a choice. "So, now it's ours." I finished. Paul strutted by with a joint, handing it off.

"Appetizer?" I grinned, offering it to Michael. He took it. "You'll like it here, Michael." I looked around; Anna was scowling in her corner. Dwayne was uneasy. He'd finished lighting the last of the oil barrels and went to Anna; pulling her to the dilapidated couch he liked so much. Marko teased the couple a bit.

"Marko, food." I ordered. His head snapped to look at me.

He dumped the pigeon and left immediately. I'd adverted him from teasing Anna and Dwayne, but Paul picked up right where Marko had left off. Eventually, unable to get a rise out of them, he gave up.

I felt like I had a headache. That was unusual. Maybe I just needed to feed. I took up my usual spot in the wheelchair we'd stolen from the Boardwalk and watched from there. Michael attempted several times to talk to Star, but she remained silent.

Marko returned shortly, a box of Chinese take-out in his arms. He dispensed the cartons quickly. Time for a little fun! I offered Michael the carton of rice; he refused.

"How could a billion Chinese people be wrong?" I cajoled. Michael finally took it. Marko handed over a carton of sweet and sour noodles to me. Michael started eating the rice with the fork I'd jammed in it. I couldn't help myself.

"How are those maggots?" He looked up at me, dumbfounded, the fork halfway to his mouth.

"Huh?"

"You're eating maggots, Michael. How do they taste?" I laughed. Michael looked into the box and 'saw' the carton was full of tiny white maggots, crawling up the fork. Instantly he began spitting out what was left in his mouth. The boys and I roared. Star shot me a look. Michael was still coughing and spitting the remaining rice out.

"Sorry about that. No hard feelings, eh?" I didn't let my words sound like a real apology; they weren't. I leaned over and offered the box of noodles. Michael took a glance, turned his eyes away, closing them.

"They're worms."

"What do you mean they're worms?" I growled, pulling the box back and taking a large bunch up in the chopsticks.

"No, don't eat them!" Michael cried as I shoveled the sweet and sour noodles into my mouth. I grinned at him.

"They're only noodles, Michael." I replied, voice low. The dark-haired boy just started at me.

"Enough!" Star begged.

"Oh, chill out girl!" Paul shot back, mouth full of fried shrimp. I motioned Marko over and whispered in his ear. He nodded once and headed to the altar shelf. I grinned at Michael. Enough fun and games, lets get down to the real party!

Marko brought over the wine. I uncorked it slowly, letting the scent hit my nose. Maybe I really was just hungry. I took a big pull from the bottle and let the blood fill my senses. There was just nothing like it. I offered the bottle to Michael.

"Drink this Michael. Be one of us."

Star stepped closer. "You don't have to Michael. It's blood."

"Yeah sure, blood." Michael snorted. Paul and Marko began to chant Michael's name. Giving in, Michael took a long drink. As he did, Anna bolted out of the cave. I watched, listening. I heard the roar of the engine as her bike sped away. I looked over at Dwayne. He nodded. He knew this was ritual; that he was Pack, and the Pack always came first.

Anna could be dealt with afterwards.

"Mount up, boys." I called.


	9. Chapter 9

We waited another day before we went to Anna's apartment. Dwayne raced ahead of me, wanting to be at her door now. I let him; I was angry enough with this stupid girl who had walked into our lives and toyed with us, acting like she was Pack, then not, then Pack again. Not to mention she was screwing with Dwayne's emotions. He really liked her, maybe even loved her.

I led Paul and Marko around the building once in a circle, letting our bikes roar, letting Anna know we'd come for her. We called her name, whispering and screaming it, teasingly. Dwayne had gone directly to park outside her apartment door and was dismounting when we caught up.

All four of us strode to her door, calling her. We gave her a chance, a moment, before we started ordering her to open the door. Nothing. I knew she was in there, we all did. We could hear her heart, smell her fear. It affected Dwayne the worst.

"Enough." I snarled and kicked the door in with my boot. Storming in, I let the rage I'd been holding back fill me. No one hurt my boys, especially not little mortal girls who thought they could undermine my power. Especially not a little girl who played with emotions and made Dwayne's heart bleed for her. To hell with her!

I had almost made it to where Anna cowered when Dwayne sped past and reached the bed. Anna was huddled in the center of her bed, both hands clutching her pillow, body curling in on its self protectively. She managed to look up at Dwayne and the pain the boy felt hit me as well.

Anna's face was tear-streaked and her eyes dark. She was angry; she was in fear. There was more but I couldn't quite get a reading on it.

"Go away," she whispered harshly. Dwayne shook his head and sat on the bed, reaching for her. Instinctively, Anna jerked away. Dwayne kept reaching into the air, before admitting defeat.

"What's wrong?" Marko asked from where he leaned against the wall. Anna remained silent. Paul was staring at the blonde girl as well, not sure what to think or say.

"You don't have a choice here, Anna," I let the anger coat my words. "You tell us, or you tell us." She glared angrily at me, fanning the flames of my anger. I felt my fangs trying to descend. Ripping her throat out was another option I could give her, but that wouldn't help matters.

"Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?" she snarled at me.

"I am Pack Leader," I snarled back.

"I am not Pack." The words jarred all four of us. Anna had waffled, sure, but two nights past she'd acted like she was Pack. Now it was blatantly obvious we'd assumed too much. Time to get to the bottom of this crap she was pulling.

"You were fine with us until the other night. What happened Anna?" I demanded. "Explain yourself."

"You have no right to order me around," she yelled, but I could hear the weakness in her voice.

"The hell I don't!" I growled, storming directly toward her. Anna moved then, off the bed and right up in my face.

"You don't," her voice was firm but her body shook from effort. "I'm not one of your damned vampires."

I blinked, took an unconscious step backwards. "You know?" I was still royally angry but this was far overrode the anger. How the hell did she know?

"No thanks to you. When were you going to tell me?" Anna demanded. "When you turned me? When I was growing old and you were still young and beautiful?" Her eyes flicked to Dwayne involuntarily. "Never? Were you just going to disappear one day? Why didn't you tell me?"

Anna collapsed, out of strength of will and her own body fighting back against her emotions.

Her face turned up to look at Dwayne's. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked again, voice cracking. She was asking Dwayne personally. Dwayne turned away, unable to face the betrayal in Anna's eyes.

"I don't..." Dwayne's voice trailed off. "You would have hated us. You do hate us."

"You lied to me," Anna managed to spit the words out. "No wonder I hate you." Dwayne kept himself turned away, the anger washing over him, into the rest of the Pack. Enough!

"Anna," I let her hear the anger of the Pack in my voice, let her feel that she was on dangerous ground. "If we would have told you, we would either have to turn you or kill you. Would you have preferred that? Preferred your death?"

"You wouldn't have killed me," she answered me softly.

"And why not?" Paul asked. "You're special, but it's a rule."

"I would have had a choice. You wouldn't have killed me," Anna's voice was weak, but her words firm. I looked down at her, realizing what she was saying.

"You're saying you would have become a vampire?"

Anna didn't look at me; she looked at Dwayne. He was watching carefully. He too had realized what she was telling us. Before Anna could answer, she fainted. I kicked the bed frame, rattling it.

"Damn it!"

"David." Dwayne's voice was low. He was picking Anna up, putting her into the bed. In a huff, I stalked into the kitchen. There wasn't much there.

"Marko!" I called. "Go get some fruit at the corner market." Marko nodded and disappeared out the doorway. Paul stayed where he was, leaning against the wall. Dwayne had tucked Anna in and moved to the bathroom. I could hear water running. I grabbed a glass from inside the cupboard and filled it half-full. Dwayne had returned and was arranging the wet washcloth on Anna's forehead.

Marko returned shortly, carrying a plastic bag of fruit. I handed him the water glass and turned to hunt up a bowl.

This felt odd to me. I'd kicked in Anna's door and now I was helping take care of her.

Dwayne scribbled a note and placed it against the water glass Marko had brought him. I returned from the kitchen, a bowl of fresh fruit in my gloved hands. Dwayne arranged everything.

"She just needs to rest." He murmured. None of us said anything. Paul and Marko rearranged the door, not quite back to its original state but okay enough. They preceded me out, Dwayne following behind me.

"Wait! I'll be right back." He called to me, running back into Anna's apartment. Marko, Paul, and I mounted our bikes. Dwayne was back quick enough. He said nothing but there was a grin at the corners of his mouth.

We rode off into the night.


	10. Chapter 10

The next night, when we returned to the cave after taking Michael out with us, we were freshly stained with the blood of the ex-Surf Nazis. The normal joking and adrenaline was still rushing through our veins, coursing along with the fresh blood we'd taken.

Anna was in the cave, waiting for us. I raised a hand, stopping the boys, and stepped towards her. Anna was staring at the ground.

"Still mad?" I asked sarcastically.

"Furious," Anna growled back. "You lied to me. Broke my trust. I should hate all of you." Internally I sighed.

This nonsense was sorely taxing me. Here was a girl had everything we wanted, loads of potential. The boys wanted Anna to be Pack, Dwayne especially.

Hell, even I wanted Anna to be Pack.

"Well?" I asked, trying to neutralize my voice and not sound angry. I didn't want to push the envelope more.

"I can't," Anna said, so softly I almost missed her answer. "And I'm sorry for running."

I blinked. An apology. The first apology she'd given me. "Good," I replied. That was enough. I had Anna's apology and that was enough for now. We'd deal with the rest later. I nodded to Dwayne and motioned Paul and Marko up into the rear of the cave, back into the shadows.

Dwayne moved to Anna. She was now realizing we still dripped the blood of our victims. Our faces and clothes were stained and streaked with red.

I felt no fear from Anna.

Dwayne and Anna's bond deepened as they apologized. The boys and I watched from the shadows. I had figured they'd kiss and make up, when Anna did something none of us expected.

She licked a streak of blood from Dwayne's cheek. Then licked off another streak that was along his jaw. Anna continued to lick. The three of us felt Dwayne's blood lust rise, setting off our own. Silently, from the shadows, we watched Anna and Dwayne give in to the lust they felt for the other, and nearly start coupling right on the cave floor.

I smirked, turning and heading towards a back passage. "Come boys, leave them be," I said low. Marko and

Paul grumbled but followed me. They dared glances back towards the couple on the couch. I chuckled at them, smirking. "Anna's ours, boys. It's just a matter of blood now."

It was just before sunrise when Dwayne finally joined us again.

"That was certainly more then fifteen minutes!" Paul chortled, Marko laughing with him. Dwayne said nothing but a grin covered his face.

"Enough." I called to the others. "Tease them tonight. Sleep now."


	11. Chapter 11

Dwayne's screaming woke us. We were screaming along with him, for him. Pain stabbed into my body, clouding my vision. Something was wrong. Something had happened. Almost as one we dropped to the floor and raced into the main cave.

Bursting into the room, we snarled and snapped, all in protective mode. We were careful to avoid the beams of sunlight that managed to find their ways into the main room. I searched the room. Star and Laddie, Michael as well. Them I knew. My memory screeched as I tried to place the three younger boys, two blondes and one dark-haired.

Where had I seen them before?

Then my eyes fell on Anna. Rather on Anna's lifeless corpse, laid out in the dirt as a bloodied Michael pulled away from her. Michael dropped to the ground, his transformation completing. He was now Pack.

"I killed her." Michael whispered to everyone and no one at the same time. "I killed." His eyes brimmed with tears.

Star dropped to his side, pulling him close and squeezing him tightly. Laddie sat, eyes as wide as dinner plates.

My heart broke as we all watched Dwayne look over Anna, see that Michael had ripped the side of her throat to shreds with his blood lust. Slowly he crossed and sank to his knees, gathered up the body and cradled it to his chest.

Dwayne began to shake. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to digest all the emotions and pain that coursed through the blood link the Pack shared. Marko gently touched Dwayne's shoulder.

Dwayne lifted his head. The glossy tears slid down his cheeks and his entire body shook with unvoiced sobs. His eyes were flat, lifeless. He'd lost his will to continue on.

Dwayne turned his eyes on me. He begged me, silently, to bring Anna back, to save her.

It was killing me. Dwayne's pain welled inside me, bringing tears to my eyes, tears I could not shed. I shook my head.

I didn't have the power to save Anna.

A voice filled the cave. A voice none of us had ever heard before. A voice filled with great power.

"She has completed her purpose. Her soul is safe, on its way back," the voice said.

"Her life was the price of their second chance," Star whispered. "Her life was the price of my wish." I shot my eyes at Star. What was she talking about?

The voice was sad, sympathetic. "I know. But she died saving you, isn't that any help?"

"No." Dwayne's voice was empty. "Her life was worth more than that. She was worth more than that."

"You would have died. You. Marko. Paul. David. Even Max. You all would have died, bitterly, painfully, if she hadn't been here, if she had not fulfilled her Destiny. She was sent here to be your Protector, and she succeeded grandly."

Everything rushed back upon me. What I had thought a dream had actually been time rewinding. I hadn't understood it then but now I did. I clenched my fists.

"I would rather be dead." The sincerity in Dwayne's voice scared all of us. I started towards Dwayne but the dark look in his eyes stopped me.

"You do not appreciate what she gave for you?" The voice was curious, angry.

"I don't appreciate her having to die." Dwayne replied.

The voice sniffed. "It was her Destiny."

"Destiny?" Dwayne's voice cracked. "Anna's destiny?"

"Yes," the voice said sadly. "Her Destiny was to die young. To never belong. To never be loved..." the voice trailed off, waiting for our reactions. I snarled loudly

"She did belong! She was ours! And you know this! She belongs to us! Damn you for taking her! Damn you!" I felt the others staring at me. I hadn't given away how I'd felt about the situation until now. In truth, I was only voicing what everyone else had felt.

"She was loved," Dwayne's voice was barely a whisper now. He gazed down at Anna, his face streaked with the tears he'd shed. "I loved her."

There was silence, long drawn-out moments of silence. None of us spoke, waiting, hoping, and praying.

"The bottle; your blood. Mix it and feed it to her."

I was shocked I hadn't thought of that. Darting across, I scooped the ornate glass bottle up. I bled myself first, then Marko and Paul. Each of us gave willingly. I came to Dwayne and sliced his skin, letting his blood drain into the bottle. I hesitated. Maybe this wouldn't work...

"Hold it to her lips. Pour it down her throat." The voice was getting frantic. "You don't have much time. Mere seconds before the chance is lost." Dwayne jerked the bottle from my hands and pressed it to Anna's lips, tilting her head so that it would slip into her mouth.

Another eternity passed. Now the cave its self seem to hold its breath, waiting.

"It's too late," the voice whispered sadly. "I couldn't give you enough time. I'm sorry..."

The voice broke off when Anna coughed and her eyes fluttered open. Dwayne slowly lowered the bottle. Anna's pink tongue slowly extended to taste the drops of blood still clinging to her lips.

The rest of us waited in silence. Waiting for Anna to speak, to give us a solid sign. She continued to lie there, looking up at Dwayne, licking the last of the blood off her lips. Her mouth opened. I drew in a breath with everyone else.

"Love you too." Anna whispered, music to Dwayne's ears. He kissed her tenderly, holding her tightly. She pulled away. Surely now she was going to yell.

"I'm hungry." Anna announced to the rest of us. We all broke into laughter, until our sides ached. I plucked the discarded bottle from the dirt and handed it to Anna.

"For now, here. Tonight, we will hunt."

"Good!" she purred at me, gulping from the last of the bottle's contents and handed it back to me, empty. Her face turned to Michael, who was staring at her. "Michael?"

"Yes?" he answered, his smile guarded now.

"It's OK, this time. But the next time you kill me, I'll have to hurt you," Anna said, laughter in her voice.

Michael sighed in relief and hugged Star tighter. Behind me, the three younger boys huddled in the shadows, searching for an escape route. I grinned, letting it spread into a smirk that covered my whole face.

"Tonight." I whispered, knowing everyone heard me.

"Tonight." Everyone echoed back, letting his or her own blood lusts fill the cave.

We were all Pack now.

THE END


End file.
